This CD contains
Figures of Speech Used in the Bible by Ethelbert William Bullinger.
This reference text contains well over 1,000 pages, and
also includes scans of the original book, a fully
digitized PDF file, and EPUB format for your Kindle or
other digital reader.
Have you noticed how often
the English language uses figures of speech?
Imagine someone coming home from work saying, “Honey I’m
home. I sure hope you don’t want to paint the town
tonight because I am one whipped pup. I just want to
stay around the crib this evening. I’m so hungry I could
eat a horse and my feet are killing me. I want to down
some groceries and hit the hay. No sheep counting for me
tonight. I bet I’ll be asleep before my head hits the
pillow. I’m going to sleep like a baby. Before I ‘catch
some Z’s’ though, I’m going to see what’s on the tube,
do a little web surfing and catch up on some email.”
Would you have any trouble understanding the meaning of
the conversation? Not at all. Consider, however, someone
from a different culture or time period hearing these
words. I’m sure there would be no small confusion.
“Why would anyone want to paint a whole town? How can
feet murder someone? Does an adult really sleep in a
crib? What’s this sport web surfing? Either you have big
spider webs or very small people.”
We would definitely have to translate the figures of
speech for our confused visitor.
“Figures of speech” or idioms suspend the normal meaning
of words to convey an emphasized message that is easily
understood by people in a particular culture.
The Biblical languages of Hebrew and Greek use figures
of speech just like English does. The problem is, we’re
thousands of years and miles removed from the Biblical
culture. We don’t always quickly identify a figure of
speech. Are we really supposed to hate our parents (Luke
14:26)? Was Jesus being rude to His mother (John 2:4)?
Does a camel really go through the eye of a needle
(Matthew 19:24)?
We need help recognizing ancient Middle Eastern figures
of speech. Bullinger’s classic Figures of Speech Used in
the Bible is just that help. He describes hundreds of
different types of figures of speech and then presents
numerous Biblical examples of each.
Look at these examples from the book:
"'It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle' (Matt. 19:24. Mark 10:25. Luke 18:25). This was
a proverbial expression for a thing very unusual and
very difficult."
"To 'Take the Sword' is used for rashly usurping
magisterial power instead of giving obedience and
subjection to God Matthew 26:52."
The content of the book is incredible!
In his book, Bullinger describes in great detail 217
distinct figures of speech. Each idiom includes the
pronunciation and etymology, as well as passages of
Scripture in which it appears along with a full
explanation. Throughout the work Bullinger covers nearly
8,000 passages with idioms in them in this extensive
resource which covers 1,104 pages in print.
How literally do you interpret scripture? When you go to
study a passage do you exegete the figures of speech or
do you assume they are taken literally? If you recognize
a possible figure of speech in a passage do you follow
the principles of interpreting that type of figure? E.
W. Bullinger’s classic work, Figures of Speech Used in
the Bible, exhaustively describes and illustrates each
figure of speech as it is found is scripture carefully
explaining how each one has certain guidelines for
proper interpretation. This helps ensure that you are
not interpreting by a rigid literalism nor speculatively
reading all kinds of meaning into a passage outside of
the normal boundaries for interpreting that particular
figure of speech.
Jeremiah 29:11 as is translated in these three versions
illustrate one example of how a figure of speech
properly interpreted rightly clarifies the passage.
Jeremiah is not saying the Lord will give them two
things: a future and a hope, but one, a future filled
with hope.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NASB95) 11 'For I know the plans that I
have for you,' declares the Lord , 'plans for welfare
and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.'
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) 11 'For I know the plans I have for
you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not
to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'
Jeremiah 29:11 (NET) 29:11 'For I know what I have
planned for you,' says the Lord. 'I have plans to
prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a
future filled with hope.'
This CD-ROM contains all of this
book in PDF format, for viewing only in your computer.
This CD cannot be played on the CD player hooked up to your TV
or stereo.
Hard cover versions of this work
has sold for 10 times or more the cost of this disk. With
our CD, you can read, study, and print out the pages as many
times as you want.
